Launching a public fundraiser, hosting a get-together and an all important gear sale are just some of the things the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) will be involved in at ISPO next week.
To mark and celebrate EOCA being 10 years old and having given €2 million to conservation, the Association launched an ambitious plan in 2016 to plant and/or regenerate 2 million trees around the world. Trees provide huge benefits stabilising slopes, protecting coastlines and providing oxygen, for example. EOCA has already committed to funding 5 new projects which together will plant over 1 million trees. In addition, EOCA members The North Face, LOWA, Nikwax and Marmot have been supporting their own tree planting projects and projects for 2017 are currently being assessed.
As part of this, EOCA is launching a public fundraiser to raise enough money to plant 80,000 native trees in Nepal, in an area degraded by illegal timber harvesting, plant collection, poaching and made worse by the earthquakes and subsequent landslides of 2015. The project will plant trees along 3 off-the beaten track trekking trails to provide stability for slopes, create a sustainable wood source and strengthen the communities’ potential to benefit from visiting trekkers via training and workshops. The project needs €30,000 which will be raised by asking the public to donate funds to ensure its success.
Every €10 donated via the EOCA websites www.eoca.de and www.outdoorconservation.eu will equate to another 25 trees, and will help raise the profile of the way the whole industry is working together, via EOCA, to reach its goal of having planted 2 million trees within the next 2 years. Tanya Bascombe, Joint General Manager of EOCA said, “The 2 Million Tree Project is a very exciting and extremely tangible way for the public to see how the whole industry, as well as individual outdoor enthusiasts, are consciously and deliberately working together to make a difference that will last for hundreds of years. Even just a donation of €1 will help us plant another 2.5 trees!”
There are a number of exciting ways companies and individuals can get involved in supporting EOCA whilst at ISPO. The conservation fundraiser, which takes place on EOCA’s stand in the West entrance ,will be open all day, every day, asking for donations for a huge range of products generously donated by EOCA members – from rucsacs and jackets to climbing helmets and hammocks. The nightly Scandinavian Bar Happy Hour, taking place from 17.00 – 18.00 on the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights of the show will also be collecting donations for EOCA. Finally, the ISPO After Work, located in the atrium between halls A1 and B1, will take place on the Monday night from 17.00 – 19.00. Hosted by EOCA and KEEN, there will be drinks, food, fun and games, as well as specifically produced limited edition 2 Million Tree Stanley mugs and Buffs®. All money raised at this event will go towards the public fundraiser in Nepal – enabling individuals to make their contribution to the huge joint effort to make our world a better place.
INFO: EOCA
